Choosing Where to Study

In addition to thinking about what type of school to go to, you also have to think about which specific school to attend. Major issues to consider include cost, location, accessibility, areas of study, academics, impact on future employment, and campus culture.

Visit Different Schools

One of the best things you can do is visit different schools to see what they are like. Start with one that’s near your home. Go and see the campus. Visit the disability student services office to learn how your disability needs would be met. Talk to students at the school to hear what they think. Then go and visit a few other schools that are different—like a small private college, a large public university, and a community college. By learning more about your options, you’ll be able to make a more informed decision. Visit the disability student services office to learn how your disability needs would be met.

Financial Impact

Most high schools are free, but after high school you will have to pay for your education. The price can range from less than $1,000 per year at community colleges to more than $50,000 per year at some private colleges.

This may make you think that you should only consider community colleges. After all, who could possibly afford the $200,000 it would take to graduate from some private colleges? But colleges offer financial aid and often will not charge you their full price. So don’t just assume you can afford one college and not another.

You should apply to the schools that are the best fit for you, regardless of price. If those schools are expensive, you should also apply to more affordable schools, in case the expensive schools don’t offer you adequate financial aid. You may also be able to get Vocational Rehabilitation Servicesto pay for some or all of your education expenses.

Financial aid and education funding through Vocational Rehabilitation are covered in more detail here.

Location

Where do you want to go to school? Do you want to be near your family or far away? Do you want to live in a campus dorm, an apartment, or with your family? Do you want to be in a big city or a smaller town? Do you want to live in Minnesota or another state? What type of weather do you like? These are all important questions and you can probably think of many others.

Accessibility

You need to make sure that the buildings and facilities at a school are accessible for you, so that you can go to class, participate, complete assignments, take tests, and do extra-curricular activities. The reality is that no school is perfectly accessible. When you apply to different schools, visit them to get an idea about whether they will be accessible for you. You should also contact their disabled student services offices to see what accessibility information they have about the school.

Talk to People:

Don’t try to decide what school to go to by yourself. Talking to people is one of the best ways to learn about schools. If you are in high school, your college counselor can provide a lot of information. If you have friends who are already in college, ask them about why they chose their college and whether they like it. If you want to know about a college, but you don’t know anybody attending that school, call their admissions department. They’ll be able to help you find a student who can tell you about their experience. You can also try to contact a disabled student group to get their opinions.

Academics

Different schools have different academic standards. Depending on your high school grades, test scores, and pre-requisites, some schools may not accept you. Some have strict course requirements, while others are more flexible about what you study. Some have hundreds of students in each class, while others have as few as ten students per class. When you are thinking about different schools, take these things into account, because they will impact your happiness and your level of success.

Your Interests

What you want to study could help you decide what school you want to attend. For instance, if you are an artist, you might look for a school that focuses on art. Or, if you like science, you might look for a college that specializes in the sciences. If you don’t know what you want to study, don’t worry! Most schools offer a broad range of classes and they even require you to sample all different sorts of topics so that you can discover what you like.

Future Employment Impact

Getting an education will make it easier to get a job, no matter what your career choice is. Potential employers will see that you dedicated yourself, worked hard, and succeeded in an environment which requires a great deal of self-motivation.

However, the school you choose to attend may impact what type of job you end up getting. If you go to a technical school, you will be well prepared for certain professions. If you go to a four-year college, you’ll be able to get jobs that require a bachelor’s degree. If your four-year college specializes in certain fields, you’ll have a better chance at employment in those fields.

If you know what field you wish to work in in the future, make sure you take that into account when you choose a school. At the same time, you should make sure that if you change your mind later, the school has other options.

Campus Culture

Campus culture includes many factors not discussed above. For instance, some schools are known as “party schools.” Others are more religious, and some schools are known for being politically active. Sororities and fraternities are an important part of student life at some colleges, while others don’t even allow them.

Campus culture may seem like a secondary consideration, but it is very important. Especially if you are leaving the place you grew up and choose to live on campus, this will be a major time of change in your social life. When you begin school, you’ll know almost nobody, and so this will directly impact how you make friends and what sorts of friends you make. The best way to really learn about a school’s campus culture is to visit and talk with students.

Glossary

An educational plan for a student receiving special education services. The IEP is created with input from parents, teachers, staff, and the student. It includes information on the student’s current performance, goals and evaluation, and on what specific services the student will need.

An exclusion that allows most students to work without their SSI benefit decreasing. The SEIE lets you keep the first $1,870 in earnings each month without affecting the countable earned income calculation. But there is an annual cap of $7,550, so if you earn more than this in any given year, the income starts counting again.

A program that you may qualify for if you apply for financial aid at your college or university. If you qualify, it will be easier for you to get a part-time job on campus or nearby, because the federal government will help some employers pay your salary.